Marionette
by MadeInRomania
Summary: They were a team. Even after everyone walked their own path, they still considered themselves a team. Indestructible. Powerful. Unbreakable. But when a certain mastermind starts pulling on their strings, lies, secrets and betrayals shake their trust in each other and not even the demon acting in the shadow can do much on their behalf, what twists are going to take their lives now?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **

**Yu Yu Hakusho © Yoshihiro Togashi**

**Cover © lince (DeviantArt)**

_**abc - thoughts, accent, qoute**_

**And a big 'Thank you!' to my beta-reader.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Crazy**

Erratic steps, fearful even, echoed in every corner of the hall. A dim figure seemed to forsake the safety offered by the wall and walked to the middle of the room, but due to the cloak and hood, it was still impossible to figure out the identity of the owner.

"Did you?"

The demon, who had previously produced the noises, flinched at the curious, apparently innocent voice. However, Yazu – for that was the demon's name – knew better than to believe this fake innocence. He knew that behind that was hidden a demand that accepted no negative answer. Averting his gaze towards the mysterious person, he narrowed his eyes in another pathetic attempt to distinguish the face behind the hood. As always, it failed. There wasn't much Yazu knew about his employer – in fact, no one really did – but one thing he was sure about: this couldn't have been a human. He couldn't feel any youki emitted, but no human would dare to meet a demon with no one watching his back, let alone act bossy or silently threaten. The employee stretched a hand through his blond hair, trying to keep his cool. His grey eyes lingered over the other's frame in search for more information. By his measuring, the masked one was about 6 ft tall and surely had a straight, elegant posture. And lots of money. How else could he or she afford paying a spy?

_Maybe if I look out for all the rich demons…?_ He shook his head, chasing away the thought – now was not the time.

"Y-yeah." Yazu swallowed hard, taking a short break to find the right words. He wasn't the smartest guy but he had heard the rumors too. According to them, if you worked for the 'Mask', as some nicknamed the cloaked one, you had to fulfill your task properly and carefully choose your words. Otherwise… none of the stories he had heard was reassuring. "Are you sure about this? If Urameshi finds out –"

"He doesn't need to find out." _They won't even know what hit them._

It wasn't a suggestion, not even an order. Despite the calm, slightly monotone voice, the silent threaten continued to vibrate in the demon's mind for a few long seconds.

* * *

_Four months later_

One of the unwritten rules of an institution called hospital was: 'Be quiet.' Probably, those who made it up should have made another one especially for spiritual detectives because Yusuke was far from respecting it. Or, perhaps, just hire a dozen more guards.

"Please, sir, the visit time is over," The receptionist pleaded spasmodically once more but it proved to be just as inefficient as the guards' attempt to kick him out. "You may come by tomorrow-"

"Who cares about the visit time?! Just tell me where Kurama is and I'm out of here."

Actually, the 'visit' began well, civilized. However, after half an hour of repeating the same question and receiving the same useless answer, plus two careful checks on the patients and employees lists, Urameshi lost all his patience...and he wasn't known to be a patient man from the beginning! Hence, he was now wandering around the halls, opening every door in his way, ignoring the receptionist's insistences.

"No, no! You can't go in there!" the poor woman tried frantically to stop him seeing how this next door was off-limit for a damn good reason!

Too late.

The door of a surgery room had already been loudly opened, a victorious smile adoring now the brunet's face. The sleeping patient lying on the table, the woman's gasp, the shocked doctors staring at him – none of these bothered him. Unlike the other medics, Kurama sighed helplessly without needing to look behind to know who it was, then put the tools aside. If Yusuke had made such a blunt entrance, here, during a surgery, it must have been something really important.

"I think I'll take my lunch break earlier today."

All the colleague next to him could do was give a weak nod, but skipping over that, the redhead left the room. He carefully removed the bloody gloves, dropping them in the specific bin then, according to the standard procedure, washed his hands. He pointed at the name inscription on the robe, _'Dr. Shuuichi Minamino'_, in order to clarify why the receptionist couldn't have helped the detective. He was sure that this time too would be useless – for some reason unknown to him, nor Yusuke, nor Kuwabara could get used to this name. He thanked whatever God up there the surgery wasn't a complicated one, although he was sure to get in trouble for Yusuke's... unconventional break in.

* * *

Kurama crossed his arms as he rested his back against the sofa, waiting for an answer. Luckily, Keiko was perfectly healthy - that if you ignored her appetite for certain foods -, as well as all the other closest to the detective. According to the brunet, she was currently looking for some baby clothes, accompanied by Shizuru and Yukina. Oh, and Kuwabara! Though you could successfully bet he was there just to be around the ice maiden. Yusuke sighed, glancing at the passers-by, then at the untouched cups on the cafe's table. Why did women buy clothes when they didn't even know whether it was a boy or a girl? That was above his power of understanding. Then again…women.

"Long story short, Botan is busy, so Koenma sent me after I-don't-know-what information. So what did you find out?"

"I thought you quit working for him," the doctor noted, looking a little surprised. Sure, Urameshi returning to bad habits wasn't so unexpected, but the news hadn't reached his ears up to this moment.

"So did I... until last week, when Botan literally flew through my window and gave me this." The brunet placed a black cassette on the table. "She said she had some message for you too."

The redhead balanced the words for a second; the fact that the blue-haired female was so late wasn't a good sign. Whatever that 'some message' was, it must have been important and the thought of someone else interfering didn't escape his mind.

"I haven't seen her in months. What was the message about?" the fox asked sipping his coffee with elegant moves.

"No idea," Urameshi answered casually, shrugging. "Something about crazy demons and Yomi. Seeing as you two are getting along…"

"I wouldn't say we're best friends. Besides, I cut all bonds with the Demon World, including Yomi," Kurama pointed out.

"Bullshit!" The ex-Detective pointed accusingly at the other. "I saw you at the tournament!"

"As a watcher, while you were battling. I wanted to be sure that you got out alive," the redhead motivated unfazed by the accusations.

"Fair enough… Next time I'll kick their asses for sure!" Yusuke smashed his fist against the table, the competition spirit controlling him for a moment. His hand landed right next to the cassette, reminding him of the recording it was containing. Frowning slightly, he tapped on the item, his eyes getting a serious sparkle. "But until then, I think you should watch this."

* * *

Nothing seemed wrong. Some were entering and exiting without making any troubles at all, while others carried wounded demons on barrows. At some point, five guys crossed the distance between the front door and another room, hurrying to get the badly injured ones to the said room. Sixty minutes later, one of those supposed doctors returned to give the awful news to the patients' friends. The words weren't clear, but Kurama managed to read them on his lips. However, the medic didn't even get to finish the explanation when the room's door was loudly opened and the other doctors ran out. One of them, painted with blood on the green coat, clung desperately on another's sleeve, blabbering something. The next minutes were pure craziness. The supposed injured demons busted into the hall and attacked everything and everyone in their way. They didn't seem to have a particular target, but one goal: to destroy. One of them managed to get to the security camera, causing it to lose the image, probably by smashing it. After that, the sound recording didn't last longer than mere seconds either.

"I still think they're nuts," Kuwabara commented as he put the popcorn bowl aside.

"The doctor said they were dead…" the fox muttered, looking intensely at the screen, searching for a plausible, favorable and obviously logical explanation.

"They seemed pretty alive to me."

"In any case," the redhead said turning to the detective, "Until Botan shows up, mind if I keep the recording?" Something was missing, something was way off; the same patients couldn't have recovered physically in such a short time. Moreover, demon or not, why would you attack someone who just saved your life?

A frown graced his face, some of the possible scenarios coming to his mind, none too reassuring.

* * *

A diaphanous door was slid open only to reveal a large room. A rather tall man, yet well built, leaned against the door frame. The expression on his sharp face seemed bored but once the multitude of his experiments was revealed, it grew delighted. Not bothered by the dim light, the scientist walked around the place, bending to check on each experiment growing into a casket. At first, he was frustratingly unsuccessful; however, after over ten attempts and a considerable amount of dead subjects, he managed to pull out a strong weapon. A weapon that, he assumed, everyone will see as innocent. What harm could a simple flower do, anyway? That is if it stayed just a flower. Answer: it could cause lots of damage. Using a gloved finger, he touched a bell-shaped purple flower. _Funny how such a beauty could be so deadly._ With a final glimpse, he left the lab in favor of a whole different space at the other end of the hall.

There were only a handful of people in the said room and all circled the round table. The room itself wasn't much of a deal, but unlike the lab it looked more aged due to the brick walls and torches lighting it. The five occupants of the room turned their gaze to the grinning scientist, hoping for good news.

"Gentlemen, our plan has begun and is, currently, successful," The scientist announced proudly.

"Currently? So you didn't get rid of that brat _yet_," a husky voice came from the third seat as its owner rested his chin on his tangled digits. "He's going to interfere again."

"Not yet," the scientist agreed. "Of course he will interfere, and _that_ is exactly what I want." The man took his time looking the doubting looks on the others' faces and decided to enlighten their minds with the depths of his plan.

"'Divide and conquer' is quite a strong saying," he continued, "but we'll do the exact opposite. We'll dispose of him from the inside. And for that," he made a step to the side, motioning towards the guest waiting in the shadow, unnoticed until then by any other member in the room. "I'd like to introduce to you…"

* * *

**That'd be all for the first chapter. So let me know what you think. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: I'm back at last! ^^**_

_**Before you start reading, I should mention this:** no, June is definitely not a Mary Sue and she will definitely not become the main character here. Nor her, nor other OCs. And again, no, you won't find any cliche going on later (you know what I'm referring to)._

_Last, but not least: a big '**Thank you' to Heve-chan** for beta-reading._

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Strike One  
**

"'Divide and conquer' is quite a strong saying," he continued, "but we'll do the exact opposite. We'll dispose of him from the inside. And for that," he made a step to the side, motioning towards the guest waiting in the shadow, unnoticed until then by any other member in the room. "I'd like to introduce to you…"

A slim feminine figure stepped out of the shadow, next to the scientist. She looked nothing like a fighter. Tall, thin, fragile, sweet – not threatening either. Way differently than the others in the room, June was wearing a sleeveless kimono, reaching her knees, with a long cut on the sides, painted in white and adorned with pink cherry flowers. It was body fitting, emphasizing her curves. She had a strange pair of shoes that went up, above the knees. When it came to her hair, it was nothing special: neck-length, untied and dark, contrasting with her blue orbs.

"June and Chan."

Dozens of complaints came from the group gathered around the table. None of them seemed to like the idea of June – a woman –, nor the missing Chan. 'A woman?!', 'What can she do? She's useless!', 'Girls can't fight!', 'Where's Chan?', 'She'll just be in the way' and other words of such kind. The scientist sighed, passing his fingers through his pale blond hair which was currently tied up in a low tail at the back of his head, waiting for the men to calm down a little. He raised his hands apparently in a defending way, but the motion suggested them to allow him time to explain. Thankfully, the crowd silenced themselves and listened.

According to the blond, whose name was revealed as Yazashi Ori, June wasn't there to fight. Not physically and at least, not now. Instead, her role was more strategical since she was doctor Misuji's confidant, the one who he shared all his work secrets with. It was also common knowledge that Misuji was close to the Reikai's royalty and someone they trusted wholeheartedly. Her only job was to bring them information, hence help them continue their plan. Yazashi was indeed a skilled science man, but he wasn't the best at brain related stuffs, nor psychological ones. On the other hand, battling and killing if needed was Chan's job. However, the male was still in prison, seeing as he was one of the most dangerous criminals the Reikai had confronted with and freeing him required more than opening a door. They had to pass the guard, unlock him, sneak out with him without being caught – sounded like a simple plan, but it was far more complex.

* * *

A soda can loudly hit the ground again and again as it fell down the street from Yusuke's not so merciful kick. It wasn't like he minded the silence of the night, he was just plain bored and the soda can was in the way. A football kick wouldn't have bothered anyone, anyway. Well, maybe except for an old lady who didn't fall asleep yet and opened the window for the sole purpose of calling the occasional 'football player' a juvenile delinquent. Nothing new in that. As 'respectful' as he was, Urameshi returned the comment just as 'nicely' before continuing his way unfazed.

After such a long time things were finally heating up and something interesting was knocking at the door. Complicated, but interesting. Yet, here he was, bored out of his mind and unable to do more than think about an explanation that was surely not about to come. Thinking hypothetical reasons and making scenarios for his fights was not his style. How he missed a good ol' fashioned fight!

Yusuke shoved his hands in his pockets, making a face. They – whoever they were - didn't seem like the carefree, direct, physical type of enemy; hence they wouldn't be stupid enough to challenge the former detective to wrestling! What a pity...

Urameshi stopped on his tracks, glancing with the corner of his eye at the not-so-subtle ones tailing him. _Or are they?_

Tall – at least three feet taller than Yusuke - large and definitely muscular. Apparently a challenge. But the bigger they are, the harder they fall, right? Though, maybe, just maybe, it would serve for a little fun. Scanning them briefly, the brunet noticed another thing: only two of them had a sharp item while the other three were barehanded. Seriously? That was all they could come up with? _Don't they know who were they fucking with?!_

The demons made a grimace as they bend over just a little, taking their common fight stance. _And here we go!_ The first of them launched himself at the ex-detective, only to miserably fail and be thrown unceremoniously into a garbage can. The second one was even more unlucky as Yusuke easily dodged his punch and answered him in the same manner, fully hitting the target. Much to his disappointment, Urameshi concluded that they were just a waste of time, not even worth using the Rei Gun.

_Speaking of which, I haven't used it in a while…_ Yusuke thought as he looked at his index finger, wondering if it still worked properly.

Thinking it was a good opportunity, he three remaining demons nodded at each other and attacked at the same time, all jumping straight towards their supposed victim. Yusuke shrugged, deciding to check if his shot was as accurately as it had been during his last good fight. He turned towards the attackers and fixed his target, giving a perfect shot.

"Yep, it works well," he stated with a happy, innocent expression on his face. Without minding the knocked out demons, he made his way down the street again. Definitely not a challenge, but it served well to get rid of a little rust. Still bored, his mind wandered to the late dinner, to what he was going to eat if he would be feeling like it when he got home.

Unlike him, the poor old lady remained frozen at the window, stunned by the actual battle, probably telling herself that it was all a nightmare.

* * *

For the past years, some things in Human World have been changing. For example, demons weren't a secret anymore; moreover, because of Yusuke's - more or less - hard work, they even got along with humans. However, things in Makai hadn't changed much, except for the gate remaining opened. And that was how Hiei liked it.

After refusing the free day offered, the fire demon was now making his way towards the gate. The sun had set down hours ago, but he preferred the dark of the night over the sun of the day. It was always so much more fun. Occasionally glancing behind or to the side, Hiei kept walking up to some point, when he became too annoyed having a shadow.

"How long are you gonna sneak around?" the Jagan Master asked growling.

"My, my," the tracker chuckled, stepping into the pale light from behind the very same tree the gate keeper's senses told him someone was shadowing him. "It seems like your instincts are just as sharp as they used to be," he added with a hint of amusement.

The voice felt oddly familiar to Hiei, thicker than any he remembered and definitely darker, but still familiar. To confirm his suspicion, he turned around, now facing the man, but ended up scoffing when he could see nothing more than a black cloak.

"So you're the famous 'Mask'?" Hiei asked sarcastically.

"Perhaps. What do you think?" The Mask sighed, seeing as the other demon wasn't going to fool around for even one short moment. Instead, he waved his hand and continued. "I suppose you noticed there are things… let's just say unnatural, happening around. Taking into account every-"

"Cut the crap and get to the subject," Hiei interrupted the speaker sharply.

"It's time to choose a side, Hiei." Just as advised, the Mask didn't waste any moment either in stating the motive of his nightly visit.

The brunet remained silent for a moment, narrowing his eyes. There was no doubt that the stranger wanted him on his side, but the 'offer' was also holding a warning – a threat, even – there was no doubt that he wouldn't hesitate to attack in case of a refusal, either.

"Hn."

Hiei's lips curled into a smirk as a challenging sparkle glittered in his crimson orbs. The fire demon drew his katana and in the blink of an eye the blade was inches away from its target. Swift as a coursing river, deadly as a snake. The Mask barely avoided it, right in the last moment and put some distance between them. As graceful and natural as he made it look, it almost seemed like he accurately anticipated Hiei's move.

_Almost._ Hiei knew better than to buy it.

"Pure luck." That wasn't changing the fact that he had missed, though.

"I don't want to fight you." The Mask turned on his heels, adding one more confirming comment before disappearing in the shadow of the forest. "But be sure I will, if we come to that. So think careful about my offer."

Instead of chasing him as he saw no reason to continue the battle, the brunet put the blade back in its place. He looked at the hollow moon and the cold rays it was throwing at the forest, giving it more of a sinister cloth. The gate was near, he could feel it. Not seeing it by the landscape, but smelling it, almost tasting the human scent emanated by the gate between the two worlds. As faint as it was, a good nose could still smell it – and it was certainly not one of Hiei's favorite odors. The first impulse was to head to the gate… on second thought, he could waste a little time.

* * *

Paper. Paper. _Paper._ Mountains of papers were still adorning Koenma's desk even after long hours of taking care of them. As high as they climbed, it was becoming impossible to see the prince. The said prince let out a desperate sigh – something that had started like a normal death had turned the whole Reikai upside down.

"Sir!"

Two large hands landed loudly on the desk, causing the documents to scatter on the floor. Koenma escaped a both shocked and disappointed yelp. Now, thanks to a certain blue ogre, he had to do all the work again. However, that was the last of Jorge's worries as he continued anyway. "We need to get out!" Judging by his alarmed blabbering, it was obvious he was scared of something or someone. Noticing the prince's confused look, he waved his hands in the air to emphasize his point. "They're coming!" Jorge didn't get to finish his warning as the door burst open and a horde of growling men stared at the two. The ogre couldn't help but swallow hard, praying for some savior to miraculously show up.

"T-This is not about the cut off salaries, is it?" Koenma asked nervously, although he already knew the answer. Due to recent budget issues, he had to cut off a part of the salary, but that was no reason for such a harsh act. Plus, he didn't remember any of the invaders as his employees.

Luckily, the guards arrived rather quickly, but not soon enough as they found a passed out ogre and a prince climbed on the desk trying to 'shoo' away the horde by using some long item of unknown provenience. Few minutes later, Koenma stared at the now dead attackers. Unlike Jorge, he managed to regain his cool during the short battle. Good thing they were as mindless as a dizzy bee. Though, judging by the view, the prince assumed that this aggressive group carried the same similarities as the one from the hospital. Only this time, they seemed to have a certain target – him.

"Call Misuji," he demanded, knowing that Misuji was a skilled and experienced doctor in mental issues. If it had indeed been insanity, then the expert should have been be able to note it. On second thought, having a psychiatric expertise on someone deceased had big chances to be a great fail.

"Sir, I'm afraid he isn't available," the servant hesitated but eventually continued. "Apparently, he was attacked last week. His house was rushed, everything was out of placed or destroyed and we found no sign of Mr. Misuji. I assume he was kidnapped, but we don't know if he's still alive. We're still looking for him, though."

"And why wasn't I informed?!"

"It was mentioned in one of the reports…"

At the reminder of the documents, Koenma's eyes landed on the bunch of papers lying on the floor. "Right, the reports…" Then they were sharply fixed on the ogre who had scattered them. "Jorge!"

* * *

Kurama had been watching the recording over and over again for the past few hours, the images still unrolling around his mind like a broken movie. Yet, they still made no sense. Alright, what happened was crystal clear. The questions were why and how. He took into consideration every single thing that could have caused such aggressive and sudden reaction and for all of them he found at least one contradiction. For a short moment, human horror movie creatures – zombies – were an option. Just for a short moment because that was surely not the right answer – for all he knew, zombies didn't even exist, putting aside humans' overflowing imagination. Sighing heavily as the video was over for the countless time today, he leaned back against the chair's backrest. The redhead crossed his legs and cupped his chin between his index finger and thumb, searching for another possibility, preferably a plausible one.

During the hot season, he would let the window open every night, so the cool air could enter and mix with the dry one, making it more breathable. That and for occasional 'visitors', though he assumed Hiei would rather sleep in a tree than on the couch during his so-called 'check-ups on Yukina holidays'. Somehow, Kuwabara managed to convince her to spend a month once a year in the town and not at Genkai's temple. Of course, if he remained in the town, there was little to no chance that the fire demon would actually stay at Kazuma's. Then again, he would have probably preferred the tree. Not to mention that years had passed since Hiei's last visit.

Tonight, though, the opened window proved a good idea. Hearing the step on the window frame, Kurama spun the chair around to look at the guest. "It's been a while," he smiled partially out of courtesy, partially amused by how funny the situation seemed now. It used to be something normal, regular… an old memory. Now, it felt strange, almost unnatural. "What do I own this pleasure to? I doubt it's a courtesy visit."

"What do you know about the Mask?"

...straight to the subject - as expected from Hiei.

* * *

_**A/N:** **That's it for now! Let me know what you think ;)**_


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